Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 11 – Lambrusco Spritz.
This is your “I’m hosting but I’m not trying to be exhausted” drink. Low-lift, high-reward, and very much for the crowd that’s milling around the snack table pretending they’re not competitive about charcuterie. If you need something festive that you can build in minutes and sip for hours, you’re in the right place.
Most spritzes star Prosecco, she’s bright, bubbly, and reliably charming, but today we’re letting Lambrusco be the main character, and honestly, it’s giving holiday magic. Consider this your friendly nudge to break out of the orange-and-Prosecco lane and try something that feels a little more wintery and unexpected.
What’s Lambrusco, and why use it in a spritz?
Lambrusco is a lightly sparkling red wine (often frizzante) from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, made from Lambrusco grape varieties. Modern Lambrusco is usually dry or just barely off-dry, with lively acidity, gentle tannin, and flavours that lean bright red berries, sometimes florals like violet, and a juicy, chillable-red vibe.
Prosecco, by comparison, tends to be a white sparkling wine made mostly from Glera grapes, with flavours like green apple, pear, white peach, citrus, and soft white-flower aromatics. It’s crisp, frothy, and super versatile – which is why it’s the usual spritz darling.
Lambrusco offers something different: darker fruit depth, a slightly richer mid-palate, and a gorgeous ruby colour that feels instantly holiday-appropriate. It makes your spritz taste more layered and wintry, like swapping a linen dress for velvet. Still bright and refreshing, just wearing a deeper shade of December.
Amaro Montenegro lays down orange-herbal warmth, cranberry adds tart holiday pop, and Lambrusco keeps it juicy and playful with red-berry fizz. Basil olive oil and three olives add a subtle savoury twist, while grapefruit and rosemary lift the aromatics so it smells like your kitchen is absolutely nailing Christmas. It’s bittersweet, bubbly, and dangerously easy to go back for “just a top-up.”
Stir gently after topping with soda. You want everything combined, but still lively – think “sparkling party guest,” not “flat because someone over-stirred.” Also, serve this cold. Lambrusco shines when it’s properly chilled; it keeps the bubbles snappy and the berry notes bright.
If this Lambrusco Spritz has you bubbling over, check out my similar recipes:
Tune into my Instagram Stories tonight at 5 p.m. Eastern for a step-by-step cocktail tutorial on how to make this one at home. We’ll talk spritz ratios, garnish swagger, and why Lambrusco deserves more airtime in your holiday rotation.
Cheers, friends!
Lambrusco Spritz
This Lambrusco spritz is a sessionable holiday sipper: bittersweet Montenegro and tart cranberry lift juicy, fizzy Lambrusco, with basil oil and olives giving it a sly savory wink.
- 1 oz Amaro Montenegro
- ¾ oz cranberry juice
- 2 oz Lambrusco
- Fever-Tree Club Soda to top
- Garnish: 3 drops basil olive oil or olive oil
- Garnish: 3 olives
- Garnish: grapefruit slice
- Garnish: rosemary
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Add amaro, cranberry juice, and Lambrusco to a snifter glass or large wine glass and stir to combine.
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Add ice and top with club soda. Stir briefly.
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Garnish with a slice of grapefruit, 3 olives skewered on a cocktail pick, a sprig of rosemary, and top it all off with 3 drops of basil olive oil.
